Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-07-17

her Of antics Of . alutatory sort. Dur;no
b;s dancing and whirling be ~freoucntle
fIIed his. mouth with liquid, and d;:.
CHARGED it In spray exactly as a Chine.
i.nndrymsn sprinkles his clothes, into ths
faees or on the heads of any man or woman
within reach. Those % treated consider
tbemselves especially favored. Having
extiuyuished the candles Of the suppliants
he soooped the liquid from the bowl, fam.
;ng or not, % il might be, aud with bis
hands v~igorously scrubbed their faces aud
heads. a il be were shampOoing them
While the victim Was still sputtering and
choking he seized him by the right hand,
lifted him up, spun him around halfs
dozen times, and then sent him whirling.
This was substantially the treatment
that all received who knelt in fhe circle,
Though sometimes it was more violent
Some of them were slapped smartly upon
the hack and the breast and much knock.
ed about. Occasionally q woman was
vhirled till she wa dizzy, and perhaps
awning about in his arms a. she had beens
bundle of clothes. They all took it meek.
" and gratefully. One little girl of Il.
who had ricketts,, was banged about as ii
every bone in her body would be broken.
Rpt the doctor had discrimination, even in
his widest moods. Some of the women
women were gently whirled, and the CON.
iurer forbore either to spray them from his
mouth or to shampoo them.
nearly all Of those present knelt and were
wbiried and shaken, and those whodid not
take his ''cure" / suppose got the benefit
of the incarnation by carrying away some
Of the consented offerings. Occasionally
a woman in the whirl would whisper some.
thing in the dector's ear, and would receive
from him doubtless the counsel she needed.
But generally the doctor made no inquiries
of his patients, and they said nothing to
him.
While the wild chanting and rhythmic
movement of hands and feet, the barbarous
dance, and the fiery lamentations were At
their height it was difficult to believe that
we were in . civilized city Of an enlighten.
ed republic. Nothing indecent occurred
in word or gesture, but it was so wild and
bizarre that one might easily imagine be
was in Africa or in hell.
As I said, nearly all the participants
were colored people; but in the height of
the frenzy one white woman knelt and
was sprayed and swhirled with the Others.
She was o respectable married woman from
the other side Of Canal street. waited
with some anxiety to see what my modest
little neighbOr would do. She had told
me that she would look on and take no
part. / hoped that the antics, the mum
merry, the rough treatment. would disgust
her. Toward the close of the sesnce,
when the spells were all woven and the
flames bad subsidized, the tall, good ma.
tured negIess motioned 10 me that il MAS
my turn 10 advance into the circle and
kneel. Iexcused myself. But the young
girl was unable TO resist longer. She went
forward and knelt, with . candle in her
hand. The coniuror was either touched by
her youth and race, or he had spent his
force. Heigently lifted, her ~ one hand,
ard gave her u turn around, AMI she
,ame hack TO her seat.
The singing ceased. The doctors wife
passed round the hat for contributions, and
the ceremony which had lasted nearly an
hour and . hall, Wa over. The doctor Te-
tired ex Exhausted with the violent exertioDs.
As for the patients, | trust they were we'll
cured of rheumatism, Of fever, or whatever
i'll they had, and that the young ladies
have either got husbands to their minds or
have escaped faithless lovers. In the break
ing up | had no opportunity TO speak fur
ther 70 the interesting Young white neo
pbits; but a. | aw her resuming her hat
and cloak in the adjoining room there Wa,
o strange excitement in her face, and in her
eyes 3 light Of triumph and faith. We
came out the back way, and through an
alley made our escape into the sunny
street and the mir of the nineteenth century.